Cute story, per usual. Finley and Theo's revenge plan works a little too well, but the sweet grandma.surfboard subplot more than makes up for it.

This was a cute young adult novel I liked the plot and character dynamic really well I just didn’t feel the chemistry but it was still super cute!

This is hands down my new favorite Kasie West book, and that's saying something since I've read just about all of them.

I was a bit skeptical towards the two main characters at first. When Finley was slighted by her then-boyfriend on more than one occasion, she doesn't stand up for herself enough, leading me to believe she was a bit of a pushover. Additionally, Theo first comes off as uncaring and aloof. These characteristics rubbed me the wrong way and I wasn't sure if I was going to like the story because of them.

However, these flaws are what make this story stand out to me. As the plot develops, Finley and Theo challenge these flaws and work to overcome them in order to grow into stronger people, which is where I think the story shines.

Don't get me wrong, the sugary sweet romance that blooms between Finley and Theo is adorable on its own. They compliment each other well and push each other to see past their initial views. If you want a fluffy young adult contemporary romance that will give you exactly what you were hoping for, this book is definitely it. It's plotted like a typical romcom movie, especially the lifeguard post scene after the third act conflict. That being said, some parts feel very convenient and a bit too simple because of this.

Looking past the fluffiness, I feel like there is a lot you can take away from the story's morals, especially in how Finley handles the football tryout results at the end of the novel. After reflecting on how Finley and Theo acted at the beginning of the novel, I'm delighted by how much they grew over the course of the novel. By the last page, I could clearly see all of the building blocks West had laid out coming together and I was completely satisfied with how everything wrapped up.

If you are looking for a quick, swoonworthy read with some hidden depth this upcoming spring/summer, definitely consider giving this book a try!

A revenge story gone wrong.

I loved the two characters together. They were so cute, and they complemented each other so well.
I am a Kasie West fan for life. Her books are fun, and fast paced, I can't put them down.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this book to read and review.

Did I pick up ‘Better Than Revenge’ by Kasie West because it was an obvious Taylor Swift reference? Of course I did. But while I came for the TS references, I stayed for the utterly charming young adult romance of it all!

The plot of this book is one I can easily picture as a YA series or movie: girl is betrayed by boyfriend, girl decides to partner with the now ex-boyfriend’s “enemy” to get revenge, & hijinks & flirting follow. Finely is a high school junior who has worked toward one goal for her entire high school career, but this is taken away by her boyfriend who decides to try out for the position she hoped for on a whim. Theo is a high school senior (I think?) who is the star of the football team & the person her (now) ex hates the most. As a way to try & get back at this ex, & to possibly give him a taste of his own medicine, Finley asks Theo to coach her to be a kicker so good that she can take the football team spot away from her ex. Honestly, I’m into it. I love a revenge plot that isn’t “mean” or cruel, but truly just…helps karma along. She can’t help it if she’s just better at kicking, right?

This was such a quick & fun read, I couldn’t put it down & ended up binging it in one sitting. But this was so much more than just a revenge plot…obviously. We watch these two navigate so much: self-identity, relationships with family & friends, & grief of various kinds. Sure, there’s a lot packed into this book, but it doesn’t feel cluttered or like it’s “too much.” What it does is give layers to what might have been a more one-dimensional story if this had been published in the 90s or 00s. Instead of characters with only one thing to define their personality, like the classic nerd/jock story, Finley & Theo are so much more than just what they do or what they want to do. And we get to watch them help each other with these struggles & support each other through these waves of life. It can seem pretty simple on the surface, but delivers a strong punch to the reader. It’s exactly the kind of YA that I wished existed when I was in high school, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it as a not-so-young adult ha.

Thank you to Delacorte Romance & NetGalley for providing a digital advanced copy for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this Kasie West (I like all of her books, really). The revenge plot here revolves around Finlay getting back at her ex Jensen, who stole her podcast slot right from under her nose. To help her, Finlay enlists Jensen's nemesis Theo, who she had always thought was too self-obsessed. As Theo teaches Finlay how to become a kicker for the school football team (and thereby replacing Jensen on the team), she realizes that a lot of things she thought were wrong. Theo is a great teacher, and becomes her good friend. Jensen was weak and self-serving. Finlay needs to learn to believe in herself more. This book also has a great supporting cast in Finlay's best friend Deja, and her two other friends. And there's an additional emotional storyline about Finlay's grandmother who has Alzheimer's. There's so much to love about this book.

Okay imagine you’re a teenager in high school, are passionate about podcasts and have this awesome idea to get on the team. Your boyfriend, who does nothing with podcasts, also decides to audition and uses YOUR idea.. AND and and… gets the position 👿

Heck yeah we’d want revenge. And we’re gonna get him where it hurts. And also maybe link up with his hot arch nemesis while we’re at it I mean why not 🤷‍♀️

I really enjoyed that her grandma’s story was almost foreshadowing and paralleled her own life and romance with Theo. The life lessons were right in front of her, she just had to put it together. Theo was the sweetest and confident. He helped Finley come into her own. Sometimes karma is better than revenge.

That’s the tone of this book and I was here for it!! Thank you @tbrbeyondtours for having me on the tour!

Finley's development as a girl who believes she wants to get revenge on her boyfriend for losing her dream was one that I liked. In order to find her voice and what truly important to her, Finley instead breaks away from her normal. This book brought back a lot of the movies I enjoyed watching as a teenager. The relationship between Finley and her grandma was my favorite, but every character enhanced the plot.

What a wonderful, light hearted novel for any YA collection. It is a welcome addition to any library that has a high circulation of romance novels. It hit the balance between being realistic without being explicit. The dedication alone would create numerous check outs.

Immediately purchased for our library - appropriate for middle school. I absolutely loved the growth of Finley, a girl who thinks she wants revenge on her boyfriend for stealing her dream. Instead, Finley breaks out of her mold to find her voice and discover what really matters to her. This is a message young women need to hear!

I loved this book! This book reminded me of so many movies I watched and loved as a teenager and I ate it up! Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I loved Finley’s relationship with her grandmother best, but all of the characters added to this story. This story left me smiling and I really look forward to buying a copy for my daughters to read. If you love a spice free, romantic comedy that brings you back to those high school days, I highly recommend this ya romance.

I got this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion via NetGalley.

I had a lot of fun and absolutely adored this story. It’s hands down, my favourite YA rom-com reads this year!

Finley has one major goal that she’s been working toward throughout her high school career: to be on her school’s podcast team. She’s worked extremely hard, and her football playing boyfriend Jensen knows just how hard she’s worked. But that doesn’t stop him from trying out at the last minute and uses one of her ideas. When Jensen gets the spot that Finley wanted, she decides to dish out some revenge. Who better to help her than Jensen’s rival Theo.

Theo and Finley were amazing, and I loved them together. They were adorable and their banter was perfect. I also really enjoyed the side story of Finley’s grandma. I loved seeing Finley make her own podcast and telling her grandma’s story through that.

The characters were loveable and charming. and West’s writing is sharp, witty, and heartwarming. I went into this book expecting a story of revenge, but got so much more! I smiled at the character and I shed a tear or two. I loved this book so much. Overall, this is a fantastic read and anyone who liked young adult rom-coms should definitely check it out.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kasie West for allowing me to review! As always, my review is my own opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared to my Instagram @what_emm_reads shortly.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

This book is adorable! It's a PG enemies-to-lovers story with your usual YA lessons learned, romantic misunderstandings, and a grand gesture. The side story with Finley's grandma added a bit of depth that is sometimes missing from YA romance books. Team Finley & Theo all the way.

This is another cute young adult book from Kasie West. While I didn't love this as much as previous ones, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. My problem was mostly Finley and her reason for doing everything she did. She was super childish and just couldn't let things go. I am happy to say she did transform through the book and I liked her by the end. On the other hand, Theo was wonderful all throughout. Yes, there was a bit of a miscommunication between them that was mostly just them being teenagers. But, whenever Theo was on the page, I throughly enjoyed it. There are some good lessons in here. I would recommend this one especially to young adult lovers or teenagers themselves. It's clean and appropriate.

Better Than Revenge was a really cute romcom. This entire book is about Finley getting her revenge against Jensen, but I also think that deep down, it was about Finley learning just how strong of a person she is. I loved Theo's character! He's perceived a stuck-up, cocky jock by everyone at his high school, but he's really such a kind, sweet, caring guy. The banter between Theo and Finley is some of the best I've read in a YA book. Their chemistry is great, and they make the cutest couple. I love how Theo is there by her side when she needs someone. The addition of Finley's podcasts with her Grandma was such a great touch and so sweet. I loved reading about her Grandma's first love. This is a sweet bingeable romance that has me wanting to read more of Kasie West's books since this is the first I've read by her.

This was a sweet, fun, revenge filled YA rom-com. It gave exactly what it needed to give and I wasn’t disappointed.

I enjoyed the MCs and the plot, it wasn’t too deep or heavy but overall was a lightheaded read and that’s what I was wanting when I picked it up.

I liked the character growth in the MCs by the end of the book and overall it was just sweet.

Grandma was easily my favorite character. 🖤

I will never not love a Kasie West book. Finley and Theo are the absolute cutest and I love how they both helped each other other out in one way or another. Also Jensen, you suck! either way, can never go wrong with any of Kasie West’s books.

(Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book. This is my honest review)

I haven’t read a book by Kasie West in a while, so when I saw this tour sign up, I jumped at the chance to review this.

I really loved this book! It was a fun, sweet YA romcom. Finley was burned by her (now) ex boyfriend, Jensen. He auditioned for the school’s podcast Finley had been working for, and he got it and she didn’t. I loved the funny things she thought of to get revenge on him. But then sometimes they backfired, and it was so funny. Then, she thinks of the one thing that could possibly work, and Finley needs help from Jensen’s football rival, Theo.

This book is so fun. Finley is a great character. She is goal driven and dealing with some hard things. I loved her podcast with her grandma and what came from that so much. I also adored Finley’s friends, and Theo! The two of them had great banter and the development of their friendship/relationship was fun to read.

I received a NetGalley link from the publisher. All views and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book! With diverse characters, the "oh no, you didn't" moment, and mysteries and surprises, I would say that the story is good and fascinating. If you like podcasts and /or football as well as YA romance, then check out Better Than Revenge!

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours, Kasie West, Random House Children's and Delacorte Romance for a gifted copy! All opinions are my own.